Matters of the Heart
by Alexandrine Jennings
Summary: Dawn got lost! Who will help her find her way back? DawnXRoark, -On Hiatus
1. Prologue

**"Matters of the Heart"**

_Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction under the fandom of Pokemon. This is my first time writing one now. I planned this story to be like 5 chapters long the most, but I didn't really decide yet, but I'll try to make this story only five chapters long not including the prologue. This is a Dawn and Roark pairing. I don't read the manga of Pokemon, and I barely watched the new saga of Pokemon, so sorry if I got the people too OOC. I watched Pokemon (the old one) since I was like 8 years old, and I'm just starting to watch the new one lol. I only have the game as help, doing this. Anyway I do not own Pokemon at all. I just own the plot and the ocs. (oh and this is unbeta)_

**Prologue**

All Dawn ever wanted is to win a few Pokemon contests and show her mother back home, but no she decided to go on a journey with Ash and Brock. Things change, now she and her Piplup got lost from Ash and Brock when they entered Oreburgh City. Ash always wanted to become a Pokemon master, so he came to the Sinnoh region to try again when he lost the Pokemon League before meeting Dawn on the way.

All Dawn could see is many huge buildings. There was no grass in sight in the town, only many rocks and dirt.

"Pip"

"Don't worry Piplup. I'm sure we be able to find Ash and Brock somewhere. This is a small city and Ash needs to get his gym badge here." Dawn said remembering why they all come to Oreburgh City for in the first place.

_Thats it! We meet them at the Oreburgh Gym!_

Piplup looked tense, after his trainer words of encouragement, but he keep walking beside of Dawn.

"Now only if I could find the Gym." Dawn told herself, walking in the middle of the city.

The town people walked pass her and to their location that they needed to be, kids playing with their Pokemon or each other in the field just a few yards away from her.

No sign of the Gym yet.

**TBC**

_Please review and tell me what you think so far of it. _


	2. Battle in Oreburgh Mine

**"Matters of The Heart"**

_Welcome to chapter one of the story, yay! I have fun writing this. Its over 2,500 words X-X. I wanted to make it longer when the bad guys come in, but I will put them in the next chapter. This chapter is unbeta. I have fun writing the battle out in this one. ^^ I do not own Pokemon in anyway, I just own the plot and the ocs. This is a Roark & Dawn pairing fanfic! I still can't believe that I'm the first one writing them in the fanfic as a pairing lol._

**Chapter One: Battle in Oreburgh Mine**

Roark always love to hang out at the Oreburgh Mine, ever since he was a little boy he hang out at the last end of the Mine training his Pokemon with his dad, who is the Canalave City, gym leader. Other people of the town were here also, and of course the workers who are very much happy working and leave the Oreburgh Gym Leader to himself.

Roark walked passed one of the workers, who gave him a smile and a wave.

"Thanks for helping us, Roark." the worker said with a smile.

"Its no problem at all." Roark respond back, friendly.

He headed to his normal spot where he always mined at for months. Maybe today he would find something rare, he hopes.

Only a lantern for light, that were alright lit for his arrival.

Roark smiled.

People in this town always so nice.

He swung his bag over his shoulders in front of him, he opens the pouch and take out his digging tools. When he finished he put his bag by the one lantern and examine his last hole he dug yesterday.

It's not very deep at all.

He adjusted his Mining Helmet on his head, that he always wore and take a closer look.

He put his Mining Pick at the center and start to do his job, dig.

He dig a few more inches down when he hit something, with a cling.

_'whats this?'_

He digs around the said object, a very sparks of interest appeared on his face.

He had indeed find something.

The object looked like a piece of stone stab.

The writing were ancient on it, Roark couldn't read it when he dug it up.

Finding that he couldn't read it at all, he decided to bring it home with him tonight and travel to Canalave City, in a few days to the library and do some reach on the item.

Placing it in his bag, he took a tighter hold on his Mining Pick and still dig farther down ward, hoping that he would find anything else.

**X-x-X-x-X**

_'I'm lost! I don't know where I am now! Help!' _Dawn mentally screamed in her head panicking, Piplup look at Dawn with a worry impression on his face.

"Piplup Pip" Piplup said, waving his fin in front of Dawn.

Translation of what he just said is- _Should we ask for directions from the old couple that we passed up? _

Dawn shook her head.

"We're fine. Where are we now?"

They both stood in front of a Mine. A few workers enters and came out, with loads of rocks in their hands along with their Pokemon. A few rock pokemon mainly Geodude send a few glares at Piplup.

Who also in turn glared back in disgust.

"Hey it's nice for the gym leader to come down and help us each day." One worker said to his partner, at the entrance of the Mine. His partner nodded his head in agreement.

"People is starting to take their work seriously again, when he arrived."

"Now we can be finish faster and have time to spend with our families." The worker respond.

"Geodude."

They all entered the Mine.

_'The Gym leader is here?'_

Piplup can't stand this place at all.

All he could see is rocks and dirt and a lot of rock pokemon and keep sending him and his trainer dirty looks. He hold himself back from attacking them with Water Gun, knowing that Dawn will be very disappointed with him if he does.

He huffed loudly.

Dawn took a few steps forward towards the mine, alerting Piplup of his trainer movements.

"PIPLUP!" Piplup screeched.

His fins waved widely in the air for his trainer to come back and leave.

"Come down Piplup, if the Gym leader is here then Ash and Brock is not far." Dawn told Piplup who still stood his ground. Dawn sighed to herself, fishing Piplup poke ball from her pouch.

"What about you stay in your poke ball until I come out." Dawn suggested.

Piplup nodded his head, anything better than hanging out with a bunch of nasty plotting rock Pokemon.

"Piplup return." Dawn said, and Piplup returned to his poke ball in one peace.

Dawn walked to the entrance of the mine.

A huge sign were nailed by the entrance, in big large words it said-

_**beware, wild rock pokemon inside**_

She walked into the mine.

She saw stairs went down to each level of the ground.

Geodudes and Onixs running around carrying huge boarders to one side of the mine to the other. Dawn gather up her courage and walk, down one set of stairs.

She saw a little girl, dressed in a pink sun dress with a bright pink ribbon in her brown hair, she looked curiously at Dawn.

She stood beside a holder man, who is her father.

"Daddy, non worker is here." She said shy.

The father who is a worker turned his head and saw Dawn.

A stern look appeared on his face.

"Miss. Its dangerous here, wild pokemon is running around and this is no place for little girls to explore." He said.

Dawn huffed to herself.

Little girl! Who is he calling little girl!

She is a Pokemon Trainer and she's not little, she's 14 years old.

"I just come down here to look around. I'm a Pokemon Trainer and since the Gym Leader is not at the Gym for the moment, I want to take some time off and look around. Mine's are so interesting." Dawn lied, well kinda.

"Oh a trainer. The Gym Leader is here at the last level of Mine. Be very carefully going downward." The worker said, his tone cut down softly, hearing that Dawn is a trainer. Thats different. She could defend herself easy now.

"Thank you sir, don't worry I'll be careful." She said, half skipping down a few stairs.

She passed up more workers.

She entered the second level of the cave through another entrance.

A few more workers were only there, not a lot like the first level had.

Dawn started feel a little fear rushed in her nervous system, but she keep on walking.

She have Piplup to protect her and last time she check Rock pokemon is weak against water.

All she saw is wall, rocks and dirt along the path.

She started to have a bad feeling also, feeling the ground begin to shake and hearing a loud noise beside of her. She stopped in her tracks and face the wall beside her, eyes widen seeing a huge crack that someone is digging through from the other side, except that this someone is not a person at all. Its too big.

The side wall begins to fall down, and at once Dawn took a huge leap forward, just missing two huge boulders coming at her former spot.

"ONIX!" **(**_**1)**_

In her wake, was a huge 28'10" ft onix in front of her.

She kept frozen.

Couldn't move at all, he body were still frozen from shock.

'_I have to do something'_

The Onix glared at Dawn hard, knowing it was using his/her move Mean Look from keeping her from running away.

Dawn took out a poke ball from her pouch and in one swing, shaking she called out Piplup.

"P-Piplup, I c-choose you."

Piplup came out of the poke ball fast and the poke ball flew back into Dawn's hands.

"Piplup!"

Piplup looked at the Onix before him and sweat dropped big.

Dawn stood up, shaking.

She couldn't stop herself from doing so.

Onix use Iron Tail at Piplup, who just stood there and stand its ground waiting for Dawn's orders.

"PIPLUP DODGE!"

Piplup jumped onto Onix's tail avoiding the attack successfully.

"Now use Brine!"

Water came out of Piplup's mouth and shoot Onix across the face, who is not struggling and made a huge bang on impact onto the ground. Onix tail begin to drove downward and Dawn knew at once what Onix is up too.

"Piplup! Stop Onix with Brine once more." She called, but it was too late.

When Piplup send out its attack, Onix was already underground.

Dawn senses went on all alert.

Clearing her head from everything but sound.

A low rumble appeared below Piplup, and then Dawn screamed.

"PIPLUP WATCH OUT!"

**X-x-X-x-X**

Roark head jerk up fast at the loud noise outside his level of the Mine.

_Piplup watch out! _

He heard a girl screamed in absolute fear. He dropped what he's doing and rushed to his bag to grabbed his best pokemon from his bag, in a poke ball of course.

"come on out Cranidos" He said, in a flash his pokemon appeared out of his poke ball.

"Cranidos!"

**X-x-X-x-X**

The Onix dug back up under the surprise Piplup and hit Piplup in his top from its head. Dawn warning came a little too late at the time.

"Pip-"  
Piplup flew against the ground in a few seconds landing beside of Dawn in pain. He laid lifeless. Onix still didn't run away.

"Piplup! Are you okay?!"

Dawn threw herself over Piplup body, covering him from the future of Onix's attacks.

Piplup looked up in his master eyes, and saw that she closed them tight.

Tears slipping out from the cracks.

"Pip"

Onix raise up his tail, his tail glow silver once more.

In one swift movement-

"ONIX!"  
Onix flew backward with aloud bang.

Dawn felt a soft hand on her should shaking her gently.

"Miss. are you alright?"

Dawn opens her eyes and looked up at the stranger who came to save her.

Dawn barely nods her head, feeling like she could faint any second now.

_'I want Ash and Brock now'_

"Let get you out of here to safety." Roark said, and he turned to his pokemon and instinctively he grown a second personalty.

"Cranidos, finish Onix off with head butt." He said, and before Cranidos could do his attack, the said Onix drill a new hole on the side and hurry and escape.

Cranidos walked back to his master shook his head.  
"Cranidos can you help me carry her? I need to get my stuff ." Roark told his Pokemon.

Cranidos nodded his head.

Roark turned to Dawn.

A small smile was on his face.

"I'll be right back, Cranidos will help you up." He said and he run off afterwards.

Dawn blink.

Who was that guy?

"Cranidos"

Cranidos said reminding her that he is still here to help her.

Dawn barely sit up and took the injured Piplup in her arms.

"Piplup...I'm sorry." She said sadly and with guilt.

"Pip...lup."

Dawn let her body fall to the dirt ground once more weakly and Cranidos appeared over her head with cercern on its face.

"Cran"

Dawn hook one of her free arms around Cranidos neck and he pulled up, helping Dawn to her feet. She lean on Cranido's back, when she saw Roark came back in view. His bag over his back.

"Good job Cranidos. Let get them to a place they could rest." He said.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Dawn never felt so guilty before.

She watched put Piplup back into his pokeball and gave him to Nurse Joy to heal up over the Poke Center desk. Nurse Joy looked up at Dawn sadly. "Don't worry dear, we have Piplup good as normal." She said, rushing off towards the back.

Roark guide Dawn to the few chairs to the wall from the desk and have her to sit down. He sit beside her, his pokemon resting in his pokeball soundly asleep.

"Thank you for saving us back there, I'm Dawn." Dawn said.

"Its not a problem, I'm Roark. May I ask why you were at the Mine anyway?"  
Dawn sighed loudly.

She put her two hands over her eyes and lean downward.

"I got lost from my friends on the way to this city. They came here to challenge the City's Gym Leader. I heard that the Gym Leader at the Mine so I thought that if I could meet the Gym Leader I could find Ash and Brock again." Dawn told Roark the truth, unware that he was the City's Gym Leader.

"I'm sorry to hear that..if it makes any matter better I'm the City's Gym leader. You can stay with me until your friends come to challenge me." Roark smiled at her, knowing that she don't have any place to stay.

Dawn couldn't argue at him for letting her stay at his place, seeing that he is the only person she could trust so far in this city.

_'Gym Leader?! He looks so young'_

Dawn looked up at Roark surpise the third time this day.

"Your the Gym Leader?"

"Sure am, why are you so shock?" He said and asked the last part in a sarcasic way.

"W-Well don't get me wrong, you looked very young to be a gym leader." Dawn stumbled out.

_I hope that Piplup is alright.._

**TBC**

**1. Sorry, if I got it wrong. I don't know what a Onix sounds like when it comes out and in battle. **

**Please forgive me for that one and the grammar mistakes.**

**Please review and tell me what you think so far about it. ^^**


	3. Bond Between Pokemon and Trainer

**"Matters of The Heart"**

_Thanks for the reviews everyone ^^ , here is chapter two of the story. Its over two thousand words like I trying to make it be like. This is unbeta for the moment. Oh and I changed the age for the Pokemon characters._

_Roark: 19_

_Dawn:14_

_Ash:16_

_Brock:17_

_Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Cyrus: their normal ages. lol_

_I do not own Pokemon at all. I just own the plot and the ocs._

_This is a Roark & Dawn fanfic pairing._

**Chapter Two: Bond Between Pokemon and Trainer**

"The Distortion World Key isn't here!"

"What do you mean its not there!? It have to be!" Mars rage out at one of Team Galactic, Grunts. The Grunt took a few steps back and were cornered against the mine wall, with Mars in front of him in a complete rage.

"You are useless! The lot of you! If I need a job to be done right, I have to do it!" Mars, hissed in her fury temper that she is famous for.

"S-Sorry"

"Your going to be more sorry when I get my hands on you when we leave this Mine." Mars said, as she marched around the poor helpless grunt and into the last level of the Mine where Roark did all of his diggings at for the past months at.

The room was dark and their was no light coming at all.

"and you wonder why they couldn't find it." Mars said sarcastically, taking out her flashlight from her bag on her hip and switch it on. She looked around the room, everything seems to be in place except a huge hole on the ground at the end.

'Someone's else got it! Who will be digging here anyway!'

She took a closer look at the hole, and knew that this is where the key belongs at.

She almost dropped her flashlight in surprise that the Grunt that she threatened is right.

Its not here...

Not anymore...

someone else has it.

'Shit I need to report this to Master Cyrus.'

**X-x-X-x-X**

"I have good news, Piplup is going to be alright. All he needs is some rest and he be good as new tomorrow morning. I suggest that don' t battle your Pokemon to a break of death again." Nurse Joy said cheerfully, handing Dawn her Poke ball.  
"Don't worry, thank you very much Nurse Joy." Dawn said excitedly and relief that Piplup will be okay now.

"See I told you that your Pokemon will be fine." Roark said.

Dawn turned to him instantly and flash him a huge smile and Roark sweat drop, feeling that his heart is racing faster than normal.

"Its getting late, we should be heading back to the Gym now." Roark said, turning his back to Dawn and Nurse Joy heading out the Pokemon Center fast. Dawn followed closely behind, waving good bye to Nurse Joy.

Like Roark said, its getting late.

Its already dusk.

Dawn looked up high in the clouds with a sad impression on her face and Piplup's pokeball in her hands.

_'I wonder what Ash and Brock is doing now'_

"Dawn, the Gym is this way."

Dawn had gone the opposite direction of the Pokemon Center and Roark. She stopped in her tracks, her face heated up in embarrassment.

"R-Right I know that." She run after Roark who is a few yards away waiting for her.

They walked together for a few minutes and the air around them are very tense, but Dawn wanted to break it.

"So your Oreburgh City Gym Leader?"

He nodded his head.

"You like to Mine?"

"Since I was six"

_'wow now he chooses not to be talk able.'_

The gym came into view of the two of them and Dawn mentally slapped her forehead. She passed that building two times and she never notice its the Gym.

The same old couple that Piplup wanted to ask for direction earlier today, were in front of her and Roark and they were forced to stop walking.

They looked over at Roark and her and a smile went on their faces.

"Hi Roark, its nice seeing you walking in the city more often now." The old lady told Roark.

"Its nice, but I prefer to stay in the Mine during my free time." Roark responded truthfully. Dawn took this time to look Roark over that she didn't get the chance too when they first met.

He wore a grey construction jacket with grey baggy pants, its was a good combination with the plain black shirt he wore.

He wore a Mining helmet and glasses and Dawn just notice this.

"Dawn, please meet Mr. and Mrs. Wood. They live on the other side of the city by the market." Roark said snapping Dawn attention to the old couple in front of them.

Dawn fake smile and bow her head slightly.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dawn." Dawn said.

"Its a pressure to meet one of Roark's friends. I see that you in a hurry, I'll let you both be on your way." Mrs. Wood said to the young friends.

"Okay, bye Mrs. Wood and Mr. Wood."

"Later."

Roark and Dawn pick up speed again walking towards the Gym.

"They seem nice." Dawn said, she rarely met any nice people when she left home a few weeks ago to help Ash and Brock on their journey.

The Gym came in closer, and they saw three shadows at the entrance of the Gym.

"They're like my grandparents, watching out for me." Roark said laughing.

"Pi pika Pikachu!"  
Dawn eyes widen.

"PIKACHU?! ASH, BROCK!" Dawn screamed, she run up to them tackling and manage to hug the three of them.

"Dawn! We look all over for you!" Ash said, hugging the girl back, even through Pikachu is the first one to notice Dawn.

"We glad that your alright." Brock manage to said through the bear tighten hug.

"I miss you all..you will never believe what Piplup and I been through together." Dawn cried, forgetting that Roark was with her, he grinned.

"So I see your her friends, I heard so much of you." Roark said.

Dawn stopped hugging the three of them and rubbed her eyes, sensing something is wrong from Roark.

He have a personality change, he acting more confident than normal.

"I'm Ash"

"Brock"

"PIKACHU"

"and you are?"

"The Oreburgh City Gym leader, Roark. " Roark said adjusting his helmet over his eyes and glasses.

"Roark?"

"I understand you're here to challenge me for the coal badge, buts it getting late and Dawn been through so much today. Come back tomorrow morning and we have the battle." Roark said sleepiness, realizing his attitude of voice, when Dawn said his name a second ago.

Ash turned to Brock,

"I guess we can sleep at the Pokemon Center for tonight." He said.

Dawn looked up at Roark telling him to say something now please, she don't want to sleep at the Pokemon center! She don't want to see Nurse Joy twice in one day, it would make her look like a bad trainer.

"I have a suggestion, you may stay at my house for the night, I needed the company anyway." Roark offered nicely, and thats how Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Dawn agreed to stay a night at Roark house that he owned behind the Gym.

Dawn found it in her heart to tell her friends the tale of what happened in Oreburgh Mine.

She told her friends how she went to the Mine to find the Gym leader, the fight between Onix and Piplup, how Piplup got hurt and how Roark came in and save her and Piplup, with the response from Roark that he didn't do much, but Dawn dismissed the comment easy.

Four sleeping bags laid on the floor beside the bed, that Roark, Ash and Brock told Dawn she could sleep in and they take the sleeping bags below.

"Sorry, Dawn. I wish I'll can be there, I could of help." Ash said.

Dawn shook her head.

"Don't be sorry, I asked for it when I didn't listen to the worker's warning at the door." Dawn replied sadly.

The wall clock over head read 9pm, and Roark is still out side in the back doing who knows what.

"Roark is really nice for letting us spending the night here like this." Ash said.

"We should thank him when he comes back in." Brock responded.

Dawn nodded her head, getting under the covers of the blankets in the bed.

_' he's being too nice...I should not be complaining...'_

"Pika"

**X-x-X-x-X**

"Cranidos, come on out." Roark said softly and the Cranidos appeared out of his pokeball. Roark laid back on the ground and face the stars and the moon above him and Cranidos.

Cranidos looked at his trainer weary on why he had summon him, and feel a strange aqua around him. Cranidos bump his head on his chest gently, more like a poke to see if he's alright.

"Cranidos, remember the time when dad moved away to Cavalave City and become the Gym Leader there?"  
Cranidos nodded his head.

"Is that I feel guilty when he left. I wish I could of beat him in a pokemon battle...to surpass him like he wanted me to do at the start, but then he left with a frown on his face."

"Cran"  
"Saving the girl in the Mine today, reminds me how I use to be when I was little...but I can't get this feeling out of my chest now. My heart started to go faster when I see her flashing her smile and I know this is not normal at all." Roark said, closing his amber eyes.

"Cranidos."

"Its not the same heart pumping like I get when we battling other trainers together...its something else. And it hurts because she will only staying here for at least two days before going to the next town with her friends to get the next badge and we will never likely to see each other again." Roark said sadly, his tone of voice were lace with tiredness.

Cranidos just sit back and listen to his trainer, knowing that he need to talk about this to him and no one else.

"I can't act myself around her very much...this really wants me to beat her friend with everything I got, so to get her to stay here longer." Roark said.

"Cranidos."  
Roark let himself fall asleep out side, unable to pull himself up and walked back inside in his sleeping bag.

Cranidos and Roark shared a very deep bond between trainer and pokemon.

They cared for each other like best friends, like it should be in the world.

When ever he needed to talk, Cranidos will always be there willing to listen.

**X-x-X-x-X**

The clock on the wall read 10:30pm and Ash, Brock and Dawn knew that Roark will not come back inside for the night. Ash looked outside the window and saw the boy Roark and his pokemon Cranidos laying on the dirty old ground sleeping and he sighed.

He could get a fever, seeing how cold it will be later on. He told Roark sleeping bad, almost tripping over Brock's body on the way.

He walked out the back sleepy, dragging the sleeping bag behind him.

Cranidos head pop up at the sound that Ash is making.

"Shh I'm just here to give you two the blanket." Ash said sleepy, and for once Cranido's trusted the boy actions.

Ash unzip the sleeping bag and threw in on top of Roark and Cranidos body and with a silent good night, he went back in the house.

**TBC**

_Please review and tell me what you think so far of it ^^_

**edit: 6/12/09**


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